Be it known that I, William Baxter, of the city of Newark, in
'the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a
new and useful Improvement in Steam Engine Reversing-Gears, which
improvement is fully described in the following specification.

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My invention relates to an improvement in steam engine reversing
gears and cut offs for reciprocating engines; and it consists in a
novel mode of securing a shifting eccentric upon the crank shaft of
the engine, and in a peculiar device for shifting the eccentric
while the engine is in motion, to reverse the motion of the engine
or alter the center of cutting off, and in setting the center of
the eccentric in a special relation to the shaft and the engine
crank.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side view of a crank shaft
provided with my improved eccentric. Fig. 2 is a plan of the shaft
with the traveler and clutch ring. Fig. 3 is an end view of the
crank shaft, showing the traveler fitted thereon and the eccentric
in its central position. Fig. 4 is a similar view, showing the
eccentric at one extreme position; and Fig. 5 is a detached view of
collar c.

The eccentric a is mounted upon the shaft between two collars or
flanges, b c, the collar b being secured to the shaft and provided
on the side toward the eccentric with V shaped ribs f, which fit
into corresponding grooves g in the slide of the eccentric, while
the collar c is held firmly beside the eccentric by a clamp screw
or screws tapped through the collar and pressed against the crank
shaft e.

Other set screws, d', with tapering points i, are fitted
into the collar c, and are applied to tapering holes in the shaft
in such a manner as to draw the collar toward the eccentric at
pleasure, to compensate for wear upon the ribs f.

The eccentric has a slot h, formed in it, through Which the
shaft e is passed, and the slot being parallel with the ribs f, the
eccentric is easily moved across the shaft between the collars b c.
The crank shaft is both enlarged and flatten, ed where it passes
through the slot h, and formed with a groove or seat, m, to receive
a key of peculiar construction, which will be hereinafter
described. The slot h is arranged at ring-ht angles to the
direction of the driving crank j, and being formed of sufficient
length, the eccentric can be moved far enough from its central
position to move the engine valve its full stroke for the backward
or forward motion.